Microsoft Defender XDR vs Tanium comparison

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Microsoft Defender XDR

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 9, 2024

Tanium and Microsoft Defender XDR compete in the enterprise cybersecurity category. Microsoft Defender XDR seems to have the upper hand due to its superior integration and comprehensive security coverage.

Features: Tanium is known for asset discovery, real-time data, and scalability. Microsoft Defender XDR is recognized for threat detection capabilities, integration with other Microsoft tools, and advanced analytics.

Room for Improvement: Users find Tanium complex with a steep learning curve. For Microsoft Defender XDR, users desire more straightforward configuration options and better support for non-Microsoft environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Tanium's deployment is complex and time-consuming, often requiring specialized training. Microsoft Defender XDR benefits from easier deployment within Microsoft environments and accessible customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Tanium has higher setup costs but offers good long-term ROI through scalability and detailed asset management. Microsoft Defender XDR is more cost-effective, particularly for organizations already using Microsoft products, providing significant ROI through comprehensive security features and lower initial costs.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Defender XDR vs. Tanium Report (Updated: September 2025).

Microsoft Defender XDR vs. Tanium

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender XDR

Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

5th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

102

Ranking in other categories

Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (2nd), Microsoft Security Suite (4th)

Tanium

Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

31st

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Server Monitoring (6th), Vulnerability Management (24th), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (34th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender XDR is 2.9%, down from 3.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tanium is 2.3%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Defender XDR	2.9%
Tanium	2.3%
Other	94.8%

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

Featured Reviews

MohtesanShaikh

Business Development Executive at TechnoFirrm

Experience improves security management and simplifies threat protection

I have created automated investigations, and while they work, they operate rather slowly in the Microsoft portal. If I automate something, it takes considerable time; if I do it manually, I can complete it in a quarter of the time. The automation response being slow is the main concern; when an incident occurs or if I run a remediation, it takes significant time to complete the remediation. There are some limitations regarding the scalability of Microsoft Defender XDR with specific licensing. For SMB customers, there is only Microsoft Defender for Business, and if they want more features such as XDR features and automation investigation or incident response, they need to purchase Defender for Endpoint. We are currently using the EDR.

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NitinKushwaha

Product Manager at OakNorth

Stable product with an ability to build complex roles

We use Tanium as an EDR solution for managing end-user devices and servers The product is granular and can build complex roles compared to other EDR vendors. Tanium's dashboard UI could be similar to CrowdStrike. We have been using Tanium for two and a half years. The product is stable. I rate…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Microsoft 365 Defender is a stable solution."

"On the Windows side, Microsoft Defender XDR is definitely integrated into the operating system. Once we have it on the security dashboard, we can see a real-time storyline."

"As a reseller and partner, the advantages of Microsoft Defender XDR are numerous; I have stopped many threats for many organizations using Defender alone, and I have saved significant IT management time by avoiding manual updates and manual work."

"In our company,we have faced multiple attacks over the last few months, but none of them have been successful, and I think Microsoft Defender XDR has played a major role in it."

"One of the most valuable features of Microsoft Defender XDR is its ability to provide preemptive reports regarding excessive privileged access."

"A crucial aspect for our team is the inclusion of identity and access management tools from the vendor."

"The portal is quite user-friendly. There is integration with Office, Intune, and other products from the same portal. From there, we can see which policies are installed on a particular machine. We also can manage devices, groups, and tagging."

"The most valuable features of Microsoft 365 Defender are the combination of all the capabilities and centralized management."

More Microsoft Defender XDR pros

"For incident response tasks, all these tasks can get done in minutes with minimal disruption to the end-user."

"Tanium is a very good product and I would rate it eight or nine out of ten."

"The product is granular and can build complex roles compared to other EDR vendors."

"I like the tool's incident response and security patching."

"Tanium's most valuable features are patch management, inventory, and distribution software."

"Tanium's most valuable feature is its instant discovery aspect."

"When I push a quick update, it's done right away, and I can rescan immediately to confirm completion within minutes."

"I'm not so familiar with the tool but I like the interaction of the console to the picture. Patching is the primary model I have been focusing on for the last couple of weeks. So I have created a proof of concept environment and have been checking the available features."

More Tanium pros

Cons

"Microsoft frequently changes the names of its products, sometimes even renaming entire portals or features."

"Sometimes, configurations take much longer than expected."

"The documentation on their website is somewhat outdated and doesn't show properly. I wanted to try a query in Microsoft Defender 365. When I opened the related documentation from the security blog on the Microsoft website, the figures were not showing. It was difficult to understand the article without having the figures. The figures were there in the article, but they were not getting loaded, which made the article obsolete."

"The AI could be improved. As an analyst, I want to be able to interact more with AI. The AI simply sends summaries. I can't ask it, for example, if it has seen any suspicious activity with device two. I have to go and check device two for myself."

"The cost can be high if you want to build custom license packages. Another area for improvement is the policies. In Azure, we need to implement policies in JSON format, but in 365 Defender 365, it would be helpful to use a different format so we can customize the platform."

"The support from Microsoft could improve. There are times I have to wait for a response from a qualified specialist."

"My client would like the solution to be more customizable without using code. You can only build on the default console, but we're not allowed to change it."

"The tool gives inconsistent answers and crashes a lot."

More Microsoft Defender XDR cons

"We had some issues with the solution's OS upgrade."

"When working with Tanium, there are some older devices that haven't been patched for a long time, and certain patches are not included in Tanium. I have to search outside to download patches, create bundles, and then perform the task."

"The performance could improve in future releases. We have had performance issues in specialized web environments, but overall I think the problems are less than 2% of the computer systems being used."

"It is not really additional functions, or the features that are needed, rather the complexity would be reduced based on the number of modules required to put together a comprehensive operational security and risk compliance model."

"The solution needs to improve the reporting and tracking capabilities."

"Tanium required local admin or root rights on Mac devices, which did not comply with our security policies. This made the solution less suitable for our restrictive environment."

"The solution can give a lot of false positives."

"Any movement into a SaaS solution has challenges since the processes and data flows are not well defined. Hence, you need to build it at the same time."

More Tanium cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Understanding the subscription model has been a bit challenging, as every feature or requirement comes with an additional cost."

"They have moved from a licensing model to pay-per-use... The question is: What happens if, for any reason, there's not enough budget to accept this model? That could be a great problem."

"The product is fairly priced for what we get from it."

"The solution is too expensive."

"I believe the pricing is fair and acceptable. I consider it to be reasonable and satisfactory."

"Microsoft purposely makes its license combinations complex and includes combinations like Microsoft 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E5, Office 365 E3, Office 365 E5, and Office 365 E1, so you get confused. Microsoft tries to sell you a bundle of a lot of things together."

"Defender plan 1 is tenant-wise, and Defender plan 2 is per-user, which makes it more expensive. To have certain features, you would need to purchase the E5 license. For all of the capabilities that the tool provides, the price, though it can be high, is fair."

"Microsoft Defender falls within a mid-tier price range compared to other security solutions."

More Microsoft Defender XDR pricing and cost advice

"The solution is expensive but it's a good investment."

"It's an expensive solution. It would be nice if the cost were lower."

"Tanium is a more expensive solution in Latin America than some of the competitors, such as BigFix."

"The product's pricing differs from region to region depending on negotiations and the number of endpoints."

"It is higher than some competitors in the market."

"There is an annual license required to use this solution."

"The solution offers value for money."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

16%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	46
Midsize Enterprise	23
Large Enterprise	37

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	10

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft 365 Defender?

Microsoft Defender XDR provides strong identity protection with comprehensive insights into risky user behavior and potential indicators of compromise.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft 365 Defender?

The pricing for Microsoft Sentinel operates on a pay-as-you-go model based on data ingestion. I recall that Defender XDR pricing is based on the number of endpoints.

What needs improvement with Microsoft 365 Defender?

What do you like most about Tanium?

The product is granular and can build complex roles compared to other EDR vendors.

What needs improvement with Tanium?

While there is always room for improvement, I am pleased with Tanium.

What is your primary use case for Tanium?

The primary use case for Tanium ( /products/tanium-reviews ) is compliance, patching, and inventory as part of the core functions.

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Compared 4% of the time

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Compared 11% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

ServiceNow Discovery vs Tanium

Compared 6% of the time

BigFix vs Tanium

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Microsoft Defender XDR

Download Microsoft Defender XDR product report

Download Tanium product report

Also Known As

Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsoft Threat Protection, MS 365 Defender

No data available

Overview

Microsoft Defender XDR is a comprehensive security solution designed to protect against threats in the Microsoft 365 environment.

It offers robust security measures, comprehensive threat detection capabilities, and an efficient incident response system. With seamless integration with other Microsoft products and a user-friendly interface, it simplifies security management tasks.

Users have found it effective in detecting and preventing various types of attacks, such as phishing attempts, malware infections, and data breaches.

Watch the Microsoft demo video here: Microsoft Defender XDR demo video.

Microsoft

Tanium Endpoint Platform reduces security risk, improves agility & increases efficiency, a fundamentally new approach to endpoint security's threat detection, indicent response, vulnerability assessment and configuration compliance & with management's software distribution, asset utilization, asset inventory and patch management.

Sample Customers

Accenture, Deloitte, ExxonMobil, General Electric, IBM, Johnson & Johnson and many others.

JPMorgan Chase, eBay, Amazon, US Bank, MetLife, pwc, Cerner, Delphi, MGM Grand, New York Life

Microsoft Defender XDR vs. Tanium